In an article published in Portuguese in Le Monde Diplomatique Brasil and in English in Passblue, CIPÓ researcher Gabrielle Alves writes about how the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, better known as Escazú Agreement, can give new impetus to the fight for socio-environmental justice and climate action in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Not yet ratified by Brazil, the agreement is legally binding and comes with mechanisms aimed at strengthening environmental democracy through the expansion of capacities and public participation in environmental decision-making processes, in addition to prescribing incentives and facilitating access to environmental information by groups in a situation of vulnerability. Such mechanisms can be decisive in ensuring a safe environment for environmental advocates in the region, in addition to promoting more participatory and transparent environmental governance practices at a time of significant environmental setbacks in Brazil.
